The Audrey Hepburn Diet: Pasta & Chocolate Every Day!

Audrey Hepburn singing

Note:

Since this article was published, information has been released that Keira Knightley is not going to play Eliza Doolittle. The role still has not been confirmed.

Forget Atkins, South Beach, and Special K, I’m going on the Audrey Hepburn Diet! Or I would if I were dieting. I can almost guarantee you that it’s the only diet where you can eat chocolate every day!

I confess, the Audrey Hepburn Diet is something I made up myself, and it hasn’t been proven successful for everyone, because only one person has ever been on it. That’s right, Audrey Hepburn.

Audrey Hepburn was one of the best actresses of all time. At least, she was one of the most loved actresses of all time. Sabrina Fairchild, Holly Golightly, Funny Face – these are all friends of mine. Oh, Audrey, Audrey, what have you done to me? I grew up watching your movies and now I can’t seem to think any actress ever compares to you! (Keira Knightley as the new Eliza Doolittle? I don’t think so.)

Do you think Keira Knightley can replace Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady?

A beautiful tribute to Audrey Hepburn, written by her son

Over the years, Audrey Hepburn has become a symbol for class, elegance, and timeless style. Word has it that she had an hourglass figure, 34-20-34, a weight of never no more than 110 lbs. (except when she was pregnant), at a height of 5 foot 7. So how did she stay so slim, even after giving birth to two children?

Did she starve herself? Was she anorexic? People who knew her say she didn’t have any eating disorders. So was she always on a diet?

The fact of the matter is, Audrey Hepburn ate pasta and chocolate every day.

Every day? That’s great! So now I have a good excuse: Audrey Hepburn ate chocolate every day and so should I. Well, she may have eaten chocolate, but she actually did have a healthy lifestyle, one we could learn from.

Would you like to Super Size that?

Audrey Hepburn would have said Heaven Forbid and ordered a kid’s meal. Growing up in Europe during World War II, Audrey had a great appreciation for food. Living in Nazi-occupied Holland, she experienced near starvation when all there was to eat sometimes was tulips or green bread made from peas. As an adult, she appreciated food so much that she ate small portions so nothing would ever be wasted.

Color Me Colorful

When Audrey Hepburn cooked for her family, she kept the food interesting by making sure it was colorful. Her theory was, “It isn’t very interesting to eat a plate full of white, therefore it can’t be very good for you either.”

3 Square Meals

Audrey Hepburn ate three meals a day; she had a diet of protein, whole grains, pasta, dairy, and fresh vegetables. She didn’t snack and only rarely ate dessert. One of her favorite dishes was spaghetti with lots of pomodoro sauce. Except for her daily bit of chocolate, Audrey didn’t eat much dessert. But when she did, she loved sweets like vanilla ice cream with maple syrup.

Great Audrey Hepburn Movies

Audrey Hepburn wasn’t known for her athletic abilities, although she was a distinguished ballerina. She didn’t work out with a personal trainer and she didn’t lift weights. Instead she took long walks everyday. She also enjoyed gardening.

Shut Your Eyes

Audrey Hepburn was known to value her rest. As an actress, she developed the habit of taking afternoon naps to keep up the energy she needed for long hours of work. She kept up this habit, and liked to follow up her refreshing nap with one bite of chocolate. Just one, mind you.

Be You

As far I know, Audrey Hepburn never had cosmetic surgery. She was unashamed to look her age and was beautiful without looking fake.

In Conclusion – Time-Tested Beauty Tips

One of Audrey Hepburn’s favorite quotes was from Sam Levenson:

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his fingers through it once a day.

I love Audrey! Your title caught my eye because I thought pasta and chocolate sound like the perfect daily eating routine! Thanks very much.

Author

Rose West 5 years agofrom Michigan

jenp123, I love pasta and chocolate too! So I was pretty excited when I found out that Audrey Hepburn, my favorite actress, ate them regularly :)

jenp123 5 years ago

What an interesting and inspiring hub. The title totally caught me because I love pasta and chocolate! Thanks for sharing Hepburn's secrets!

Author

Rose West 5 years agofrom Michigan

Hi Bee, beauty inside is so much more important than beauty of the outside sort. I think internal beauty tends to radiate outwards, creating a more real external beauty.

Carey Mulligan? I can picture her as Eliza... but still not sure she could replace Audrey.

Bee 5 years ago

In the end, what makes Audrey the most beautiful woman in the world is the way she carries out her life filled with kindness and compassion towards other people. It's no wonder she glows! Nevertheless, practical tips on diet and lifestyle don't hurt. ;)

Also, I heard that it was no longer Keira Knightley but Carey Mulligan in talks to play Eliza Doolittle.

Author

Rose West 6 years agofrom Michigan

Josalyn, thank you for your kind words! Audrey Hepburn is one of my "heroines", and I think it's important to get the facts straight. Thank you so much for reading!

Josalyn 6 years ago

Rose,

I don't normally leave comments like this but I wanted to say that your post is done so well! I am a huge Audrey fan, and I notice that people constantly mix up facts when posting about her on the net. I loved that you pointed out how Sam Levenson's poem is in fact not her own work, and that you included facts about her childhood. Well done :)

Author

Rose West 6 years agofrom Michigan

Hi collegatariat! Thanks for stopping by! I know, it is hard to pick a favorite movie. The only Audrey Hepburn film I didn't care for was "Two for the Road". I have seen "Wait Until Dark" - I forgot about that one - that was pretty scary :/

collegatariat 6 years ago

Oh, lovely. I've had my pasta for the day, now time for the chocolate! What a delightful Hub about a lovely person. But I must say, I can't pick a favorite from her movies because they are all my favorites, every last one! You should check out "Wait Until Dark", a thriller with an unusual role for Audrey that she absolutely nailed.

Author

Rose West 6 years agofrom Michigan

Hi Stephanie, thanks for your visit! Yes, pasta and chocolate! It's a diet I think I can do ;)

Stephanie Henkel 6 years agofrom USA

I share your admiration for Audrey Hepburn, and loved your hub about her. The photographs were great, too! Pasta and chocolate, huh? Have to try that.

Author

Rose West 7 years agofrom Michigan

Pamela, thank you for reading... Sabrina is such a classic!

Pamela Kinnaird W 7 years agofrom Maui and Arizona

I loved her in Sabrina. Wonderful article!

Author

Rose West 7 years agofrom Michigan

oia, very true. I've heard people say she wasn't the best at acting, but I would have to disagree with them.

oia 7 years ago

not only a style icon not only beautiful and kind and classy woman but she was an amazing actress

Author

Rose West 7 years agofrom Michigan

Gypsy Willow, thank you for reading! I really love Audrey Hepburn; she was a beautiful person.

Hi Rose, thanks for all this information on this beautiful actress. The epittomy of elegance.

Author

Rose West 7 years agofrom Michigan

Thanks for your comment, Dolores. You're right, Audrey didn't load up on the pasta and chocolate - small portions always! She knew what it was like to go without food, and appreciated what she did have. She never overdid it.

Dolores Monet 7 years agofrom East Coast, United States

The Audrey Hepburn diet probably didn't include huge plops of pasta, or several large Snickers. Thanks for reminding us of this lovely woman. She was a great actress, a great lady, and a great beauty.

Author

Rose West 7 years agofrom Michigan

Thanks for your comment, nikki1! Audrey was, in my opinion, one of the best actresses of all time.

Happy New Year to you as well!

nikki1 7 years ago

awww.. cool contribute. She was a head of her time in talent.

Happy post new year to all.

Author

Rose West 7 years agofrom Michigan

Well, we'll have to wait and see how the new "My Fair Lady" turns out. Keira Knightley might just surprise me with a good performance!

Kendall H. 7 years agofrom Northern CA

Oh they couldn't improve on the original 'My Fair Lady' because Rex Harrison and the rest of the cast cannot be surpassed. Hollywood for some reason cannot create new stories instead they feel like they have re-do the masterpieces.

Author

Rose West 7 years agofrom Michigan

Thank you for reading, Kendall! I haven't watched "War and Peace" yet...I'll have to get around to that sometime soon. I always feel like I should read the book before watching the movie, but War and Peace is quite a hurdle!

True, Keira Knightley is better than many actresses that could've been chosen. I'm just not sure how they can really improve on the old "My Fair Lady". I guess we'll see!

Kendall H. 7 years agofrom Northern CA

Thanks for the hub on Audrey! I just watched War and Peace tonight where she plays Countess Natasha with her then husband Mel Ferrer. Its a bit long and she's beautiful as always but somehow it was quite difficult to take her seriously as a Russian countess. As for Kiera Knightly I'm alright with her because she at least has poise can you imagine the other actresses they could have chosen?!

Author

Rose West 7 years agofrom Michigan

I'm so glad you enjoyed it, itakins!

itakins 7 years agofrom Irl

Fabulous hub-I really enjoyed it-full of great information.Oh I love those films ,I have the full boxset waiting and ready for its Christmas viewing.

Author

Rose West 7 years agofrom Michigan

I know, right? And I don't think she ever wore corsets (like Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind). Thanks for commenting, Mandie!

Mandie 7 years ago

Um, 20? As in her waist measured 20 inches? Is that possible? I think if I ate pasta and chocolate everyday, my arm would measure 20". Great article!

Author

Rose West 7 years agofrom Michigan

Thank you both for your comments! It was a pleasure to write!

7 years ago

This is an absolutely beautiful hub. I won't forget it soon.

Ann Leavitt 7 years agofrom Oregon

Miss West, you've done it again! An elegant and poised article; a pleasure to read.